Most of the businesses providing funeral and other services pertaining to the dead are mom-and-pop operations catering to local needs.
But with deflation eating away at the economy and the population aging, some firms -- including funeral services and manufacturers and sellers of Buddhist altars for the home -- are desperately trying to survive.
The approach to the future taken by one altar merchant, Fukuoka-based Hasegawa Co., may surprise many. Its flagship store in Tokyo's prime Ginza shopping district is full of what officials call objets d'art.